My favorite things Georgia

1. Favorite Ray Charles song: "What’d I Say"; it’s heresy to admit this, but overall his stuff leaves me cold.

2. Favorite Jasper Johns series: Lately I often call up the "Decoy" prints in my mind.  But the "Targets" series is my pick, followed by the American flag and "Numbers."

3. Big band arranger: Fletcher Henderson — does he deserve as much credit as Benny Goodman?

4. James Brown song: "Bewildered," and have you ever seen the videos of JB dancing on the T.A.M.I. show?

5. Favorite Otis Redding song: "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)."

6. Best Little Richard cover: "Long Tall Sally," Beatles. 

7. Favorite Gladys Knight song: Tough choice.

8. Fiction: Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers, Erskine Caldwell, and James Dickey are all candidates but none of them do it for me. 

9. Movie, set in: Duh.  Remember "Dueling Banjos"?

10. Favorite REM song: "Shaking Through," from Murmur, is a good pick.

11. Favorite Leo Kottke album: Six and Twelve String Guitar; this one changed my life.

12. Musician I’m not supposed to like: Tommy Roe; "Sweet Pea" and "Dizzy" still sound pretty good to me.

The bottom line: Awe.  It’s Jasper Johns plus music, music, and more music, and I didn’t even have to think hard about the music.  I’m sure I left plenty out.